Nigerians still showing reluctance to take the Covid19 vaccines have been asked to make themselves available as the vaccines will not make them fall sick as is being rumoured.
Mr. Abu Micheal, Publisher, Thenigerianpost Newspaper
Mr. Abu Micheal, Publisher, The Nigerianpost Newspaper gave the charge at a Grace FM Lokoja Radio Program aimed at sensitizing the citizens on the importance of taking the Covid19 vaccines and dispelling the rumour surrounding the vaccine.
The radio program is sponsored by Challenged Parenthood Initiative, Centre for Information Technology and Development, with funding from Mac-authur Foundation, dispelled the rumour making the rounds that the Covid19 vaccines are not made of the live virus that causes COVID-19, instead it is made up of messenger RNA (mRNA).
The Publisher said the goal of the vaccine is to teach the human body to recognize and fight the virus by giving the instructions (mRNA) to make a harmless protein of the virus.
He said after the protein is made, the cell breaks down the instructions (mRNA) and gets rid of them, making the immune system to recognize the protein since it doesn’t typically belong there.
He equally dispelled the rumours that the Covid19 vaccines were rushed and there hasn’t been enough testing, pointed out that vaccine development is usually a long process and can take several years, said the Vaccines followed due and diligent preclinical and clinical process before it was certified fit for administration.
The Publisher said the rapid timeline for the development of Covid19 vaccines may sound alarming, said it was made possible due to the large amount of funding, time and effort spent on research, pointing out that Scientists had already been studying other coronaviruses for many years which sped up the process.
He assured that the COVID-19 vaccines underwent the same rigorous testing as any other vaccine, but were fast-tracked by completing many stages at the same time. This he said meant that all the usual safety checks were performed and completed simultaneously, rather than separately, saving a lot of time.
As to multiple vaccines from different companies, Mr. Abu explained taccines are not a one-size-fits-all solution. He said currently, the available COVID-19 vaccines cannot be given to everyone, said it is important to have multiple vaccines available so that everyone can be safely vaccinated and protected against COVID-19.
He said each vaccine may have different requirements, maintaining that if for any reason an individual can’t receive one vaccine for any reason, there’s a good chance that they can get another one pointing out that as of now, there are many vaccines in development around the world, a number of which are in phase III clinical trials.
On the rumour that the COVID-19 vaccine doesn’t work or isn’t safe and that the vaccines are not safe for people with allergies, said while it is possible to have an allergic reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine, the chances of that happening are very slim.
On the rumour that people who already have COVID-19 don’t need to get the vaccine, disclosed that after someone may have been infected with COVID-19 and has recovered, the Covid19 vaccine would serve as some form of protection from getting COVID-19 again.
On the rumour that wearing a mask is not necessary after getting vaccinated, explained that even after getting the COVID-19 vaccine, experts recommend that people continue to wear a mask and practice recommended public health measures.
The Publisher cum Journalists dismissed the rumour that the vaccine may cause infertility, disclosed that there is no evidence that the new COVID-19 vaccines can affect a woman’s fertility in any way as it helps pregnant women from having miscarriage and helps the unborn child.
On the rumour that COVID-19 vaccines are not safe, he maintained that the Vaccines have been proven to be safe and effective, helping the body to respond to build protection against the disease and others.
He concluded by dismissing the rumour that the mRNA vaccine will alter my DNA, described it as not true, appealed to citizens of the State to make themselves available as the Covid19 vaccines have been clinical tested, said it is safe and effective.